The Difference Between A Vision and Mission
12 February 2015WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE AND ACTUALLY, DOES IT REALLY MATTER?
Often I am asked to explain the difference between a vision and a mission to my clients. There are management teams who have gone to the trouble to develop these statements and wonder why. Some do not understand them and often confuse the two. Quite a few times, I’ve been on the receiving end of “it’s not as if having a mission statement is going to make me and my staff go out and sell any more widgets”. And these clients may have a point. Are they really important?
The short answer is, yes. Having a mission and a vision are the two core components of any strategy plan. Without knowing where your business stands right now, without having a clear picture of where you want it to go, how can you plan out the tasks and activities required to get you there?
1. Mission – It’s About the Here and Now
A good mission statement serves as an ongoing guide that spells out what the company is all about. What does your business actually do? Many companies find it difficult to express what they do. It’s so complex. They have difficulty in communicating it in a few lines?
A mission statement should answer the following questions in relation to your company:
1) WHAT it does;
2) WHO it does it for; and
3) HOW it does what it does.
And that is critical, not only for company directors and owners, but also for your staff. They are your ambassadors. And one thing’s for sure, if you can’t articulate what your company is about, they certainly won’t be able to.
I love Innocent’s mission. Why do I love it? Because there’s no jargon. It’s simple, straightforward and honest. It states what they do, who they do it for and how they do it. More importantly, it tells the truth.
2. Vision – It’s About the Future
A vision outlines the goals and aspirations for the future of a company. Written in the right way, it can be a source of inspiration. Amazon’s vision is such an example. It contains truth, simplicity and direction:
“Our vision is to be earth’s most customer-centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online”.
Having a mission and vision for your company is a very valuable thing. These statements form the cornerstone of any long term plan for your company’s future. Your vision identifies an end state of where you want your company to be. The mission will tell you where you stand now. Together they should enable you to understand what is required to get you from one point to the other – in other words what are the gaps?
3. Or Just a Paper Exercise?
So yes, they are important. But it’s quite obvious that, alone, a Mission and Vision statement will get you nowhere. Without developing a set of coherent plans and actions alongside them, they will simply stand in isolation with no real meaning. They will just be another paper exercise.
Jean Talbot is a Business Coach and Adviser to Directors and management teams of small companies. She specializes in planning, process improvement and managing change for SMEs. If you are struggling with strategy, visions and missions and want to learn how to use them to grow and improve your business, call 07795810639 or email info@lamplighterassociates.com.